» Best individual performance:Platte Valley senior Caleb Creech was all over the place, racking up 70 total offense yards and also making a slew of key plays on defense.

» Turning point: After Kent Denver cut the gap to 10-7 with 10 minutes, 28 seconds left in the second quarter, the Broncos scored 22 straight points, capped by a Kolt McDaniel 14-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Daniel Frantz to put Platte Valley up 32-7 with 8:03 left in the third.

» What it means: Platte Valley (1-0) came in the game ranked second by MaxPreps and CHSAANow.com, while Kent Denver was ranked first. The two teams are likely to switch places in next week’s polls as the Broncos establish themselves as the early-season team to beat in 2A.

Bobby Fernandez

Kersey — Platte Valley came into its football opener against Kent Denver determined to make a statement.

The statement the Broncos made is likely to be heard from Brush to Bayfield, and everywhere in between.

Coming off last year's runner-up finish, Platte Valley dominated the defending Class 2A champion Sun Devils 32-14 in front of a big home crowd on Friday.

"We wanted to show our hard work over the summer and how we've grown as a team," Broncos senior Jake Smith said, "and (Kent Denver) is a pretty good team to make a statement like that against."

Platte Valley (1-0) fell in the state finals 28-17 last fall to Kent Denver (0-1) after the Broncos had led with just more than 6 minutes left in the game.

On Friday, the consensus No. 2-ranked Broncos never afforded the consensus top-ranked Sun Devils any kind of hope.

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Platte Valley's senior quarterback Logan Sitzman said he and his teammates stepped on the field determined to gain some sort of vengeance after the Broncos' title game loss to Kent Denver — which also beat Platte Valley 46-14 in last year's season opener in Englewood.

"We've all thought about it since the end of last year," Sitzman said. "We knew we needed to come out and show everybody that we've been putting in the work and we're ready this year."

After winning the coin toss, Platte Valley deferred, Kent Denver received and the Broncos pounced.

The Sun Devils — anchored by junior all-state running back Jaden Franklin — moved the ball all of six yards, before lining up for a punt on a three-and-out to start the game.

On fourth-and-4, the long snap sailed over the head of 6-foot-2 senior quarterback/punter Joey Matarazoo. Broncos junior Daniel Frantz recovered the ball, and Platte Valley promptly marched the ball 29 yards on seven plays, capped with a 3-yard Sitzman keeper to put the Broncos up 7-0 less than 4 minutes into the game.

According to Broncos coach Troy Hoffman, the decision to receive, play defense or defer after winning a coin toss is entirely his players' choice.

Platte Valley senior Caleb Creech — who had 70 offensive yards to complement a series of key defensive plays — said he and the defense were determined to make a stand on Kent Denver's opening possession, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

"We wanted to just set the tone right away," Creech said. "That first kickoff, we knew we had to hit them hard and make sure they know where we're at."

After Franklin ripped a 65-yard run to set up a 2-yard touchdown dive by Devils junior fullback Gunnar Sveen to cut the gap to 10-7 with 10:28 left in the second, the Broncos took over.

Sitzman, Platte Valey's all-state quarterback, briefly left the game with a cramp early in the third quarter. His replacement, Frantz connected with Kolt McDaniel on a 14-yard touchdown pass to cap a string of 22 straight Broncos points, extending the lead to 32-7 with 8:03 left in the third quarter.

Hoffman said in coming weeks his team will work on being stronger in the second half after each team scored seven points in the second half of Friday's game.

"What we want to do is establish ourselves as a strong second-half team," Hoffman said. "The heat got to us a little today, with a lot of kids cramping up. … But, our (younger) kids got some valuable time against a really good team."

Platte Valley racked up 244 total yards (144 passing, 100 rushing) to take a 25-7 first half lead, compared to just 96 total yards (20 passing, 76 rushing) by Kent Denver.

Smith led the Broncos' balanced attack with 61 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries to go with three receptions for 21 yards.

After Franklin's 65-yard run to close the first quarter, the Sun Devils had just two yards the rest of the half.

"We knew that they were ready," Kent Denver coach Scott Yates said of Platte Valley. "They're a good team. To be honest with you, I feel pretty good about some of the things our kids did against a team right now, at this time of the year, is probably one of the better teams in the state."

Smith said he and his teammates were determined to knock off Kent Denver to open their season, and not just to wash away the memory of last fall's title game loss. They also wanted to set the tone early for a season in which the Broncos hope to win their second state championship in program history after winning their first in 2007.

"It's good to come out, make a statement and start off on the right foot," Smith said. "We're just going to build off this and make (Friday's win) our worse game; just keep building off this and get better."

» Best individual performance:Platte Valley senior Caleb Creech was all over the place, racking up 70 total offense yards and also making a slew of key plays on defense.

» Turning point: After Kent Denver cut the gap to 10-7 with 10 minutes, 28 seconds left in the second quarter, the Broncos scored 22 straight points, capped by a Kolt McDaniel 14-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Daniel Frantz to put Platte Valley up 32-7 with 8:03 left in the third.

» What it means: Platte Valley (1-0) came in the game ranked second by MaxPreps and CHSAANow.com, while Kent Denver was ranked first. The two teams are likely to switch places in next week’s polls as the Broncos establish themselves as the early-season team to beat in 2A.